Fairy Tale Endings
by clouddreamzz
Summary: Rachel personally finds out how different (and real) one fairy tale is. Gretel/Rachel, Hansel/Rachel. Witch Hunters X-Over


Title: Fairy Tale Endings [1/?]

Rachel personally finds out how different (and real) one fairy tale is. Gretel/Rachel, Hansel/Rachel. Witch Hunters X-Over

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

It started when their father took them out into the woods. Earlier that the night, their parents had whispered to one another behind drawn curtains before their father appeared to drag them out of bed. Now they were blindly following him as he led the way deeper into the woods.

Only the flickering light from their father's lantern gave them any respite from the darkness, but the grim look set upon his face did nothing to sooth away the worries and fears. Tripping slightly over a small fallen branch, the girl known as Gretel held on tight to her father's guiding hand as her brother Hansel held tightly onto hers.

Their father's hurried pace was easily tiring them, and the siblings began wondering how much further they must tread.

Abruptly their father halts to a stop, as he looked this way and that. His gaze continued to search the surrounding area for a few seconds before he was satisfied. Moving the two siblings before him, Gretel at the left and Hansel on the right, the man observes his children's expressions.

Bringing his left hand up, he lightly brushes the back of his fingertips against Gretel's cheek. "Stay here," he says before quietly staring at both his children, "I'll be back soon." His words were meant to be reassuring, but the children couldn't help the fright that promptly snuck in once their father took a single step away.

"Wait!" both Hansel and Gretel cried as they grabbed hold of their father. "No!" Hansel added, emphasizing their hesitance.

Immediately their father turned as he jerks his arm out from their desperate grips. "Shush!" he ordered as he stepped back some. "I said stay here!" he reiterates forcefully. Both Hansel and Gretel falter in their movements at the slight anger radiating from their father's voice and their objections die a swift death. However, as their father strode back through the woods without them, the fear creeps back into their rapidly beating hearts.

"Father, wait!" Hansel shouted one last time.

* * *

"Dad and you would never leave me in the woods, would you?"

Hiram looked up from the book to see Rachel looking hesitant as she nervously bit at her lower lip. "Of course not, Rachel," he answers confidently before adding, "Besides there aren't really any woods nearby Lima for us to drop you off, or are there?"

"Daddy!" Rachel exclaims with a huff as Hiram chuckled at his nine-year old daughter's reaction before returning to the story at hand.

* * *

Gretel didn't understand why their father had taken them out into the woods nor did she understand his reasoning for leaving them here. But here she stayed with her brother Hansel as they sat huddled together in the dark of the night. An amount of time passes and the two siblings continued to anticipate their father's return.

He said he would.

It wasn't long afterwards till Gretel found the lack of action quite unbearable. She quickly looked towards Hansel and caught his eye. After wordlessly conveying her intents, Gretel stood up and began to walk.

Naturally Hansel followed his sister.

The night's full moon aided the two siblings in their journey as they aimlessly wandered through the woods. Gretel was unsure whether she was leading them further away or towards their home, but the girl felt it wiser than sitting on her rump on the ground.

Hansel, meanwhile, remained quiet as he merely followed Gretel without hesitation. He trusted his sister in whatever she did – Gretel was (usually) the smarter of the two. Besides, brothers don't let sisters traipse about through the woods all by themselves, especially in the middle of the night.

Continuing their trek, it wasn't long before the siblings stumbled upon a house – a rather extraordinary looking house. No matter how wondrous it appeared, however, Hansel and Gretel had but one thought on their minds. Running up to the building, the two siblings began banging on the door without abandon.

"Help us! Please!" the siblings yelled as they pounded their fists on the door.

Their actions lasted for a few seconds before they truly began to notice the house's oddity. There were no bricks. There was no wood. And upon closer inspection, the house appeared to be made out of sweets. Hansel, curious as ever, was the first to break off a piece of the house, whatever it was made from. Cautiously sniffing it, Hansel furrowed his brows momentarily in thought before taking a bite. Gretel soon followed suit and broke off a piece for herself.

* * *

"Well that's not really hygienic," Rachel interrupts.

Lowering the book in his hands, Hiram had stopped with the bedtime story to give Rachel the 'look'. His little girl was an avid listener, particularly with fairy tales, but sometimes she just couldn't refrain from adding her own personal commentaries.

At her father's raised eyebrow, Rachel quickly crosses her arms in defense. "Well, it's not," she reiterates with a slight huff.

The adorable image his daughter portrayed on her bed didn't deter Hiram. In fact, the man merely continues with his unspoken words until the little girl ultimately relented. Typically, Rachel was as stubborn as both her fathers combined, but she had really wanted to hear the rest of the story even if she didn't agree on what Hansel and Gretel had done.

Just thinking about the possible number of germs the two siblings ingested gave her the shivers. Very unhygienic, indeed.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Daddy," Rachel finally apologizes as she uncrosses her arms and relaxes back onto the pillow behind her.

"Apology accepted," Hiram responds with a smile before lifting up the particularly thick book chronicling a variety of Grimm's fairy tales. Of course, he didn't get much further into the story when the two protagonists are lured into the old woman's candy house.

"Wait, they just went into her house without question?" Rachel asked, appalled at the siblings' lack of self-preservation – does no one ever remember the phrase 'stranger danger'?

Hiram simply rolled his eyes at yet another interruption and, no doubt, his daughter's internal monologue regarding the hazards of following a stranger into their house.

"I'm sorry," Rachel quickly interjects at her father's motion, "No more interruptions from now on. I promise."

Looking at his daughter, Hiram watches with some mirth as Rachel gestured at zipping her mouth closed before throwing away the imagined keys to a pretend lock.

* * *

"Eat!" the old woman shouted before shoving more sweets towards Hansel's face. Struggling against her grip, the boy wisely kept his mouth shut as the confections smeared all around his face.

Realizing the boy's refusal to do as commanded, the woman released her grip on the boy and pulled her hands back through the cage bars. Glancing behind, she eyed the young girl she had thrown onto the floor earlier. Stalking towards her, the old woman grabbed the girl's chain and yanked Gretel over towards the cage. Grasping the girl's throat, the old woman faced Hansel once more as she held up her wand and pressed it threateningly against Gretel's neck. The warning was clear as the woman's true dark nature was revealed and she commanded the boy once more to eat.

Staring at the witch's twisted visage and Gretel's frightened face, Hansel resignedly picked up one of the fallen sweets on the floor and held it to his mouth.

"EAT!" the dark witch yelled impatiently, compelling Hansel to take his first bite of the frosted cookie.

* * *

The sudden bang echoing through the house easily jolts both Hiram and Rachel back the present, causing the father and daughter duo to sit up straighter in their seats.

"Darn it!"

Hardly straining his ears, Hiram listened to whatever seemed to be going on downstairs – the clashing of pots and pans was easily heard by all within the house.

"Sounds like Dad is having some difficulties," Hiram remarks offhandedly to Rachel. After a moment of silence passed, he moves to resume with the story until a voice spoke out from downstairs.

"Hiram, a little help please? I seemed to have gotten," a pause, "Stuck."

The requested man lets out a small chuckle before bookmarking the page and closing the book. "In a moment, dear!" he answers before getting up from his seat. Laying the book on the bed, Hiram moves to give Rachel a kiss on the forehead. "We'll continue after I've freed your Dad," he explains after the kiss.

"But Daddy," Rachel manages to utter just before Daddy Hiram left the room.

Discontent with the sudden pause to the story, Rachel crossed her arms in silent complaint. However, being the curious (and precocious) nine-year-old child that she is, the brunette couldn't resist the story that lay unfinished just before her. Pushing the comforter down, Rachel crawled up and over her covers to grab the book from where it laid resting at the edge of her bed.

Continuing on her journey by getting off the bed, Rachel struggled briefly to hold up the book as she stood. Maintaining a good grip on the book, the brunette smiles to herself at the accomplishment before opening to the page with a bookmark. Rachel briefly wonders whether Daddy would get at her mad for continuing on the story without him. Yet, when she remembers where they had abruptly paused, Rachel didn't dare stop in her actions now.

"Hansel usually loved sweets but this time they tasted bitter," she reads softly to herself.

Completely absorbed by Hansel and Gretel's tale, the brunette failed to notice the slight glow that began to overtake her body.

* * *

"The oven's not hot enough!" barked the witch. Whipping her head towards the right, the old woman screamed out for more firewood before stabbing the knife she held into a nearby table.

Rushing off, the old woman quickly unlocked an iron cage door before harshly dragging out the boy within. Hansel struggled with his bonds as the witch continued to tug him this way and that, pulling him ever closer to the burning oven.

From the sides, Gretel hastily worked on her chain's lock with the nail she loosened earlier from the floorboards. She prayed it wouldn't be too late for her brother. Although the girl was working furiously, Gretel didn't miss the stirring whispers of another voice.

"Gretel was far smarter than the witch thought," the voice mutters as its owner appeared right before the mentioned girl's eyes.

Startled by the newcomer's sudden existence, Gretel quickly backed away only to bump into the wall behind her. Her grip on the nail tightened as she stared at the other girl in slight awe. 'Where did you come from?' Gretel wanted to ask. But the question died on her lips when she heard Hansel scream out. Refocusing on the witch, she saw that the old woman had thrown her still bound brother onto the floor before opening the now blazing hot oven. Hansel's sudden limp figure causes a terror – more alarming than being eaten by a witch – to grip her heart.

However, Gretel's attention involuntarily shifts at the new girl's movements.

Letting out a small gasp, Rachel finally takes stock of her new surroundings and takes a single step back. It's as if the slight change in position would allow her a better view of the unexpected situation she found herself in. Her grip on her book slackens till it's almost on the verge of slipping out her hands. Rachel Berry has, indeed, fallen into a (slight) stupor.

"Another," the witch suddenly rasps before whipping her head back towards Gretel's direction. Spying the little addition to the group, the hag grins wickedly before twisting her body to fully face the two girls.

"The witch," Rachel utters in startled acknowledgment. Her grip on the book immediately tightens as she steps back – an unexplainable, urgent need overtaking her to place a greater distance between the two of them. However, the girl only manages a step or two before the witch before her suddenly surged forward. With frightening speed, the old woman slapped the book out of Rachel's hands and grabbed onto the girl's arms.

"So young," the witch rasped as she pulled Rachel closer for inspection. Disregarding the woman's obvious lack of proper dental hygiene, the captured girl struggled (almost in vain) against the old woman's hold. "Let go!" Rachel exclaimed as she further tried to wrestle herself away. An uneasy feeling of vileness had crept along the edges of the girl's body, all stemming from where the witch tightly gripped her arms.

The hag only cackled in response.

It is with luck that Gretel freed herself moments after the witch had latched onto Rachel. Throwing the despised chain onto the ground, Gretel quickly moved towards the table that held the knife the witch had so carelessly left earlier. Grabbing it, the newly freed girl tightly held onto her only weapon in her right hand as she brandished the knife threateningly at the witch's back.

"She said let go!" she exclaimed, sounding (miraculously) more confident than she actually felt.

The witch only let out a soft chuckle as if delighted by the other girl's antics before turning her head to face the child. Gretel held onto her resolve as the woman eyed her with some amusement. With speeds belying an elder, the witch twisted Rachel around so that they may both fully face the brave (and foolish) Gretel. One arm holding Rachel against her, the old woman promptly used her other hand to whip out her wand from the confines of her robe.

A quick, simple flick of the wand and a spell is promptly cast in Gretel's direction.

Rachel gasps at the (all too real) magic lashing out through the air and struggles even harder as the dark (very dark) red glow of the spell approaches ever closer towards the other girl. "No!" she cries out once the spell reaches its destination and collides against Gretel's form.

"What?" the witch immediately spat out in surprise when her magic failed to do her bidding. Instead, her magic had harmless rippled through Gretel's body leaving the child untouched whereas the items behind her flew back from the spell's intensity. Staring at her own wand in surprise, the witch seemed to forget about the girl she tried to harm.

Although relieved, Rachel had kept her wits and swiftly stomps on the distracted woman's foot. In an instance she was released and the girl wisely scrambled out of the way.

Seizing the opportunity, Gretel flew forward on her feet with thoughts solely revolved around gravely injuring the horrendous witch.

With each stab, she had ignored the dark (unnaturally colored) blood that splattered unto her clothes, hands, and face. She managed to pierce the witch's flesh for a count of three times before the old woman backhanded her in an attempt for reprieve from the attack.

Landing on all fours, Gretel looked back to see that the hag had fallen as well. Momentarily, the girl glances in Rachel's direction to see the shorter girl staring wide-eyed at what had occurred only seconds ago. Various specks of blood dotted the girl's strange clothes, but the stains remained unnoticed by the wearer.

"Gretel," a voice moans. Blinking once then twice, the requested girl turns her head back forward. Hansel's once limp body began to move and shift about as he slowly regained consciousness. Knife still gripped tight in her right hand, Gretel quickly crawled over to her brother's nearby position.

"Hansel," she mutters before helping him sit up slightly. Using that same knife still covered in blood (so very dark), Gretel rushed to cut the binding ropes without heeding the not quite slain adversary from behind.

Slowly the witch struggled onto her feet as more blood continued to spew forth from her wounds. Once standing upright, the old woman coughed once then twice before staggering towards the siblings. "You," she hissed as black dribbled down the corners of the mouth. Her hand raised the wand once more as the tip began to glow a bloody red. "Gretel!" Hansel shouted in warning as the girl moved at cutting the ropes faster.

Their actions halt as both siblings jerked back in surprise when a heavy sound of something hard colliding is heard and the witch stumbles forward, falling onto one knee. From behind the downed hag, Rachel struggled slightly to keep her grip on the rather large (and recently acquired) firewood.

No pleasantries were spared as Gretel shifts her attention back to Hansel and resumes cutting at her brother's bonds. Again the witch struggles to stand. And again Rachel begins lifting the firewood – already she was regretting picking the biggest one at the heat of the moment.

With a stroke of luck, the final strands on the rope snaps apart and Hansel promptly grabs the closest firewood around. Back on his feet in seconds, the boy aims a quick swing and strikes the witch fully across the face. Spinning from the blow, the old woman falls onto the still open oven door. The effects are immediate as her robe catches on fire and her body begins to writher from the burns.

Instantly the two siblings sprung into further action as they moved together on pulling at the chains that would close the oven door and trap the witch inside.

So focused they were on ridding the hag that the two siblings failed to hear the clatter of a dropped firewood. It was a simple sound that was overpowered by the roaring of the fire and the witch's wretched screams.

"Is it hot enough for you now, witch?" Gretel asked sarcastically as the woman continued to thrash about from within the blazing oven.

Momentarily, Gretel remembered about the strange girl with her strange clothes and glanced around the room for the one who helped them.

Besides her brother, she found no one else.

* * *

Feeling the sudden burst of magic upstairs, Hiram and Leroy caught each other's eye before dashing off towards the direction of Rachel's room. Neither stopping in their haste, the two men practically charged at Rachel's bedroom door as they rushed inside the room.

"Rachel," Hiram utters, breathless but relieved. His little girl – alone with no nearby strangers – was standing besides the bed with her back towards them. "Rachel, honey?" Leroy adds when the girl didn't seem to notice their abrupt entrance.

After a second or two, Rachel finally turns to face her fathers. "Daddy?" she questions as confusion shone clearly through her eyes.

"Oh my God," one of them – they weren't sure who – muttered before they carefully approached their daughter.

Hiram and Leroy tried not to panic at the sight of the very familiar blood dotted across Rachel's pajamas. Dark blood, the color of black, could only mean one thing.

* * *

Some time later, Hiram settled onto the bed he shared with his partner Leroy. It was time to discuss what exactly had occurred with Rachel and how they were going to handle the untimely (yet expected) situation.

"Rachel's finally changed and asleep," Hiram mentions before pausing to lightly smile at a brief memory, "She wouldn't stop talking about Hansel and Gretel."

Leroy doesn't comment and a moment of silence grips the room before the two realizes what must be done.

"We need to bind her powers," Leroy finally adds. He lets out a deep sigh at the suggestion, although it was his very own suggestion.

Hiram doesn't hesitate with his answer. "Fine," he agrees before twisting on the bed to look Leroy in the eye, "But she'll need to know the truth one day."

"When it's safe," Leroy concludes.

"When it's time," Hiram amended before turning off the lamp on a small drawer cabinet positioned by his side of the bed. The two had an uneasy night's rest while Rachel slept soundly two doors down.

Already the recollection of her fairy tale encounter have begun fading and replaced with more normal, uneventful memories – a courtesy of her fathers.

* * *

After a while of morbidly watching the witch burn to her much deserved death, the two children finally straightened before taking a hold of each other's hand. They made a silent vow to always be there for each other as they were all they had now – their father never returned.

And, secretly, Gretel vowed never to forget the other girl from this very night.

It was rather unfortunate that she hadn't learned her name.

-End Chapter One-

* * *

A/N: Another story? Guilty as charged. I recently saw _Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters_ and had a strange urge to involve Rachel – only Rachel – into their story. Of course, certain events from the movie will be altered and Rachel Berry has become a little (or maybe a lot) more special.

I imagined Rachel as a well-informed and mature individual, even as a child. And I'm guess-timating that all three children are around the ages 8-10. If anyone knows contrary, specifically Hansel and Gretel's actual age, then let me know.

Question of the day: Are Hansel and Gretel twins?


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